


A Boring Little Town by the Sea

by InSpaceYoghurt



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen, M/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:42:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24029086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InSpaceYoghurt/pseuds/InSpaceYoghurt
Summary: Ellie has lived in Broadchurch her whole life, so, when a murder of a young boy hits her town, her whole life is shaken. But how would the murder of someone she barely knows affect her life as an ordinary 17 year-old?--------------------Alec has just moved to a little town by the water. He hates it. He hates it with a passion. Being the new kid at school is never any fun anyway. But, when a murder of a young boy happens in the close town, people start pointing fingers at Alec. The one person who was proven to be near the crime scene and was new to the town.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller, Alec Hardy/Ellie Miller, Alec Hardy/Original Character(s), Beth Latimer/Mark Latimer, Ellie Miller & Joe Miller (Broadchurch)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place around the time S1 aired but Alec and Ellie and everyone else are still in school and Danny is not the one who is murdered.  
> I actually have this planned out (sorta) and I do have an ending for this one (sorta), so that's good right?  
> This first chapter is mostly just introductory stuff. Nothing remotely exciting. Yay.  
> Oh, and, I'm definitely not going to lie that I have no clue what I'm talking about when I'm talking about anything school related. I know very little about the UK school system and I did have to do a little Google-ing while writing this, so I'm so sorry if I get something wrong or something isn't right.  
> Oh and also I'm not a very creative soul so the school is called Broadchurch Secondary School. My brain sometimes.

The blue glow of her laptop cast a faint shadow from the corner of Ellie’s bed. It was late and she wasn’t supposed to be up but she had to get her homework done. She had spent all evening with Joe Miller, her boyfriend, down at the beach and had completely forgotten she had English homework.

Not that she would have remembered her homework anyway. English was the least of her worries right now. If she wasn’t spending time with Joe, she was with Beth Roper. Especially now. Beth had been dealing with a lot and needed Ellie’s support more than ever. Honestly, she almost regretted spending the evening with Joe instead of Beth.

She reached under her bed and took a large gulp of an old energy drink, finishing the last of the can. She shook her head and sighed. If she put any more focus on trying to _want_ to finish her paper, she’d have no more focus left to focus on _writing_ the paper.

Ellie was in her lower sixth form (whereas Joe was in his upper sixth). Everyone kept warning her she was going to be the most difficult year. But why would it be the most challenging? It wasn't like there were piles of stress you had to manage, or having complete shit teachers, or any big exams...oh wait. Scratch that.

Who was Ellie kidding? Her life felt like an overwhelming amount of stress and sleep deprivation. However, in two years, she’d be off to Uni, majoring in analytics. Not a bad plan. Though, she was sure that the colleges would be looking closely at her grades, so finishing up English homework at 12:01 was better than not finishing it at all.

She typed away at her computer, making sure to type lightly and slowly so her parents wouldn’t hear the clicks of her keyboard.

\--------------------------

Alec couldn’t sleep that evening. A mix of dread and anxiety churned in his stomach causing his whole body to fill with a fluttery feeling – and not the good kind of fluttery. It was a feeling he has had plenty of times before. It was going to be his first day of school at Broadchurch Secondary School. Alec and his family had just moved from Glasgow to a small, seaside town.

He hated Broadchurch and he hadn’t even spent a full week there yet. The sky was always grey and the weather was always cold. Oddly enough, it wasn’t the weather that was annoying. It was the people who inhabited the dreadful town. They were all smiling and overly excited about _everything_ even with the weather being utterly depressing. They all seemed to know each other and all stood in their little groups as they walked the streets of the town. It was like they were living a dream. They acted like nothing remotely different would ever happen in their little formidable lives and nothing ever would.

It made him angry with his mum for making them move. He’d left his old life behind for this ghastly town. Now, all he had left of his old life was a measly Facebook account with a countless number of good-bye messages from people he barely even talked to.

And his actual friends? He had no actual friends. The last friend he had died, so that was that. He was on his own.

Sitting on his bed, he looked around his barren room. His old room wasn’t much larger than this one, but at least the paint on the wall wasn’t chipping. He’d yet to set up his bookshelves and desk and still had to hang up the little number of wall decorations he owned.

Standing up, he dug for one of his many, many notebooks and for a pen. Flipping through one to find a clean page, he sat back on his bed and started writing.

\--------------------------------

“Hiya!” Ellie said cheerily, waving towards a slim figure walking down the street.

The figure turned, her short brown hair waving in the wind.

“Elle!” Beth called out.

Ellie smiled, running up towards her. Beth had been Ellie’s friend for a long time, and when she had first started secondary school in Broadchurch, she’d been more than elated. Being older, she was able to share all the tips and tricks to her friend on trying to get through the dreadful years of being 15 and 16.

“So,” Ellie said. “How are you?”

“Good, I guess,” said Beth, fixing up her hair into a ponytail as she walked down with Ellie. Ellie watched her smile faded just a bit, but she shook it off as they continued to walk down the road.

“You hear there was a new family that moved here? Just a couple days ago, I think,” Ellie asked. She had heard about it from her parents. They were wondering whether or not to greet them to Broadchurch.

“No,” said Beth, waving over Mark Latimer, a shortish boy with short, brown hair, standing on his porch. Mark was the same age as Ellie making him two years older than Beth. But despite their age difference, the chemistry they had together made them a likely couple.

“I think they have a son. That’s what my parents said. Maybe he’ll be in your year.”

“Maybe,” said Beth.

Beth still hadn’t talked to Mark about all that she had been dealing with. She’d only told Ellie.

Mark smiled and greeted both girls.

“Mornin’ Ellie,” he said. “Beth.” He smiled, then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Beth smiled, blushing slightly.

“Oh! Gross, stop being all soppy!” Ellie joked.

“No Joe?” he asked Ellie.

“Nah,” said Ellie. “Had to get to school early or something. Tutoring. That man. Terrified of the A-levels.”

“Isn’t everyone?” Mark asked.

Ellie shrugged. “I guess so. It’s just he’s _really_ nervous. He’s been obsessive over the thing.”

“You’ll be there in a year, Elle,” said Beth.

“Yeah. I’ve got a whole year. And until then,” she said as she squeezed between Mark and Beth, wrapping her arms around their shoulders, “I’ve gotta babysit you two.”

Beth laughed and Mark nodded and the three of them continued to walk.

\------------------------------------------------

School was absolutely miserable, as usual. It was such a nice day outside, and Ellie was stuck inside staring at a SmartBoard and a boring professor lecturing in front of it.

When class was over, she turned in her finished English homework and met up with Beth at her locker.

“I can’t STAND Mr. Benson. He is SO boring. I don’t think I’ve ever had a teacher as boring as him!” Ellie complained.

“Well you could be taking AP Calculus instead,” Beth said. “You know. The one Dr. Alders teaches.”

Ellie shuddered. Dr. Alders had a notorious reputation for being the most terrifying teacher in the whole school.

“True that,” said Ellie, walking down the hallway, trying to see if Joe was in the crowd.

“Elle, c’mon,” Beth said, tugging on Ellie’s shirt. “I wanna get to the lunch line first before all the good seats are taken.”

Ellie when she didn’t see Joe.

“And before we’re late. Again,” said Beth.

\-----------------------------------------

“You are late to lunch, Mr. Hardy,” a raspy old voice said, handing back Alec’s identification card.

“Sorry, ma’am. Didn’t know where the cafeteria was.” Alec looked away as he stood just beyond the cafeteria, trying to balance his books and an additional bright pink paper stuffed in his hand. “My – er – guide didn’t show up when he was supposed to. I’m new,” he said as if it would help.

The older woman must not have been listening.

“In the lunch line,” she said, pointing to a long line of half-dead teens.

Alec only nodded and joined the queue, grabbing a tray while he was at it. Now, more than ever, he wished he had brought his lunch. As the line slowly progressed, he grabbed a small helping of salad and a juice box. Funny. Still serving juice boxes to 17 year-olds.

He was relieved to see that he wasn’t the only ‘truant’ student late to lunch as a long line had piled up behind him.

Other than being late to lunch, the day had been going just fine for him. No one seemed to care that he was new. Everyone kept busy with their own cliques.

“Is that it?”

Alec looked up to see he was already standing at the checkout station. “Hullo,” he said. “Erm. Yeah. Not very hungry.”

She didn’t look very impressed with the answer. “Well?” she asked.

“Well’ what?” he asked. He looked back behind him as if for a hint from the other students, but it suddenly made him conscious that he was holding up the line.

“Are you taking a mark or going back?” she asked.

“What?” he asked again, feeling more confused.

She sighed. “Are you taking a mark or going back to the end of the line? I can’t check you off if that’s all you’re going to eat.”

Alec stared for a second. “Sorry, but I’m really not that hungry. No one told me-”

She let out another annoyed sigh, then held up a clipboard with a long list of names, checking something off.

“Swipe your card.”

Alec did as he was told and the lady let him through. He looked behind him as everyone stared angrily at him, watching where he was going.

Scratch that bit where he said his day was going fine because he never knew that the hardest thing to not fail was going to be lunch.

\----------------------------

“Mark!” Beth yelled, calling over Mark over the loud chattering of the cafeteria.

He shook his head annoyed and sat down, shaking the table.

“Oi!” Ellie said. “What’s got your hair tied in a knot?”

“Some bloke held up the lunch line,” he said. “Pissed off the checker too. She was in a mood even after he left.”

“Well, if it happens again, don’t take it out on the table. You about knocked over my juice,” said Ellie.

“Someone held up the line again?” Beth asked curiously as they had nothing better to talk about.

“Yeah. Didn’t see him though.”

Ellie looked around the lunch room as Mark complained. Joe must have still been in the lunch line. But as she was taking one last look in the sea of students she saw one figure who stood out from the crowd.

He was a tall and thin form with messy brown hair, though, it wasn’t his height that made him stand out. It was the fact he was wearing a nice suit jacket with a white buttoned collar sticking out compared to the sea of tee-shirts and sweats. He wore somewhat nice khakis and was balancing books in one arm and a tray of food in the other all while trying to keep his glasses from sliding off.

“Hey Mark,” Ellie said.

“Yeah?”

“Is that the bloke who held up the line?” she asked, pointing to the figure. He was standing off in the corner of the cafeteria.

Mark squinted. “Yeah. I think so. What’s he doing over there?”

“No one told him this wasn’t a uniformed school?” Beth asked in Ellie’s ear as they stared.

“Should we invite him over,” Ellie asked Beth, but Mark cut in.

“No! The guy held me up and now I’ve gotta finish this food in the next… 10 minutes,” he said, staring at his watch and then returning to his food.

“Well we can’t just leave him standing there like an idiot, Mark,” said Beth.

“Yeah. We can,” said Mark. “He’s probably waiting for someone anyway. He would have sat down by now if he wasn’t.”

“Yah, but isn’t he the new kid?” Ellie asked. “I sure as hell haven’t seen him before.”

“Haven’t seen who?”

Ellie turned around to see a tall boy standing behind her. “Joe!” she said cheerily. “We were just talking about the new kid.”

“Is that why the line took so long?” he asked.

“Probably,” said Mark, bitterly.

“Oh, stop it, Mark,” Beth smiled, lightly smacking his hand. “Joe’s even later than you and he isn’t complaining.”

“Ain’t his fault, Mark,” said Joe. “No one probably told him about the whole dietary plan or whatever they’re calling it this year,” he said, then squinted his eyes and nose and did the perfect imitation of the lunch ladies snapping at all the students to take the proper portions of a ‘healthy meal’.

Everyone laughed.

“And this is why I bring my lunch,” said Ellie, showing off her blue lunch bag. “You lot should be more thankful that I bring. I mean, where would you all be sitting if I wasn’t here saving spots for you while you’re getting yelled at in the lunch line?”

“Not a clue,” smiled Beth.

Lunch was over before they knew it and that meant not seeing them at all until school was over.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. This chapter is a bit of a filler one, but I promise that it's leading up to something.  
> Also, there is French in this chapter and I do not know any French other than "Bonjour" and "Oui" soooo I used google translate. I would have used Spanish (which I do know a bit of) but I felt like Ellie would be someone who would take French.  
> Happy reading.

Alec lugged his books up the stairs to the French classroom. When he arrived he found the class was almost empty. A small pod of girls sat in the back gossiping while a couple students scattered near the front were hunched over looking at their phones.

Alec sighed as he dropped his books on an empty desk. The girl sitting two desks in front of him looked back. She had long, curly brown hair and wore a tee-shirt with OASIS printed on it. She looked at him as if she was trying to decide whether to say something or not.

Not wanting to talk, Alec kept his head down and sat down, finally realising he had seen the girl earlier that day in the cafeteria. She was staring at him funny. That made things all the worse. He really didn’t want to talk about that lunch. It was embarrassing and annoying.

She decided to speak anyway. “Hello,” she said.

Alec gave a forced grin and nodded.

Before she could say anything else, the bell rung and students came rushing back in the class, filling up the spaces between them. The teacher finally came in and started calling role, each student lazily letting their hand raise when their name was called.

“Monsieur Alec Hardy!” he called up. This caught a couple students’ attention as his name was called out in a peculiar tone. The teacher’s eyes went up and down the rows trying to spot him.

Alec raised his hand shyly. “ _Présent._ ”

The teacher smiled at that. “ _Ah. Tu dois être le nouvel étudiant, hein ?_ ”

_You must be the new student, yes?_

Alec nodded his head. “Yes, sir,” he replied back in French. “ _Je vivais à Glasgow_.”

Mr. Finch continued to smile. “ _Votre français est bon! Oui. Bienvenue à Français trois, Monsieur Hardy._ ”

_Your French is good! Welcome to French 3, Mr. Hardy._

Alec smiled, somewhat satisfied with the praise, but sunk down when he realised more people were staring at him, especially the girl in the OASIS shirt. She seemed to be glaring at him even if she was two desks ahead of him.

Mr. Finch continued on with roll call and then the war between who was going to take the attendance down to the office began. Everyone was quickly quieted when Mr. Finch finally chose a student and then he got back to the lesson.

Alec quietly tapped his pen against his leg until the professor stopped talking and handed out a worksheet to do. He finished with 15 minutes to spare. Quietly, he turned in his paper (Mr. Finch happily praising him for finishing so quickly), and sat back down at his desk, opening up a blank page in his notebook.

That is until the girl two desks ahead made her way to the empty desk right beside him. Alec looked up in surprise, sliding his glasses up with his hand.

“Hello,” she said quietly, taking a quick glance at the teacher’s desk to make sure Mr. Finch was busy.

Alec smiled again, briefly.

“You’re the new student, yeah?” she asked.

“Mhmm.”

She suddenly held out her hand. “Ellie Barrett,” she said.

Alec just glanced at her. “Ok.”

She quickly withdrew her hand when she realised he wasn’t going to take it and looked down at her desk. For a few minutes, she sat there silently, pretending to do her work until she said, “You moved here from Glasgow?” she asked.

“Um… yeah?” he said. He frowned when he looked back at Ellie, and closed his notebook, seeing that she was probably going to try to talk to him for the rest of the class.

“I saw you in the cafeteria today,” she said.

His cheeks flushed and he looked away. “My guide didn’t turn up,” he said irritably. “Didn’t know about the whole lunch thing.”

“I do hope all of you who are talking are talking about the assignment _in French_ ,” Mr. Finch said in French, staring at Alec and Ellie.

“ _Désolé, Monsieur Finch_ ,” Ellie said with an innocent smile.

Mr. Finch just nodded and returned to his work.

Ellie rolled her eyes when she turned back to Alec.

“Your French is good,” Alec tried complimenting.

“Sure,” she said, shrugging.

The bell rung then, causing chaos in the room for about a minute as chairs and desks scooted across the tile floor and people stampeded out of the class.

“Where are you going next?” Ellie asked, packing her things.

“English.”

Ellie gasped. “Oh! Me too!” she said cheerily. “We can walk down together!”

“Oh,” said Alec. “I… I don’t know if...”

“C’mon,” she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

Alec sighed and did the same, carrying his extra books in his arms.

“You one of the French geeks, then?” she asked once they were in the hall. “I mean, you’re probably the only one who actually obliges to the _En Français seulement_ or _in French only_ rule.

“Er…”

“Not a big talker, are you?” she asked again before he could respond.

He shrugged. “You a big Oasis fan?” he asked, gesturing to her shirt.

“Nope,” she said. “But I am a fan of saving money, and this was discounted and fit me, so I bought it. But, what about you? You came dressed like you had an interview today or something.”

“Makes for good first impressions,” he said simply, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. He hated having conversations like these. At his old school he never really had to worry about making small talk because no one _wanted_ to talk to him.

“Elle!” a voice called out to them in the hall. Soon a shorter girl with the same brown hair Ellie had caught up with Ellie, travelling by her side. “Oh! Who’s this?” she asked, looking at Alec. Alec didn’t smile. The girl’s face looked younger than Ellie’s but she dressed in a more mature style.

“He’s new,” said Ellie.

“I don’t need everyone to know I’m new,” Alec mumbled.

“And his name is Alec Hardy,” Ellie said smiling. “Alec, this is my sister, Lucy.”

“Hiya,” she said a bit shyly. “You can call me Luce if you like.”

Alec simply bobbed his head. If there was anything he despised most in this town it would be how cheery everyone seemed to be.

“Anyway,” said Lucy, “Mum told me to tell you that she’s not going to be home til’ late. Dad is gonna be out too, this evening.”

“Alright,” said Ellie. “Thanks, Luce.”

Alec couldn’t tell if she was annoyed or upset, but he could see something change in the way she held herself and the way her smile faded ever so slightly.

Lucy trotted off somewhere else and Alec continued to follow Ellie to English.

When they finally got to class, Ellie seated herself at the desk right next to where Alec sat down, giving one of the kids who, presumably sat in that seat, a glare, causing him to choose a different seat at the other end of the classroom.

Alec caught Ellie looking through all of the extra books he was carrying.

“Nosy much?” he mumbled, shoving the books to his side.

She didn’t seem to reply to that. Instead, she said, “Wanna hang out after school? Me and my friends usually walk home. Maybe you can join us.”

Alec didn’t reply.

“Anyway. If you want to, we meet at the flag pole after the bell and walk home together as a group. We might head down to the beach this evening if it’s not too cool. You should join us.”

“Why are you asking me this?” Alec asked, not meaning to sound rude, but he was pretty sure that’s the way it came off as, watching Ellie curl back up in her desk. Before she could say anything, though, the English teacher started taking roll.

\------------------------------------

Ellie waited by the flagpole for the others, watching as all of the other students loaded the buses. Lucky for her it wasn’t pouring rain or freezing cold. Instead, a cool breeze brushed against her back and waved her hair in the air.

“Elle!” Joe came walking up to Ellie, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. Ellie smiled and wrapped her arm around Joe, giving him a tight squeeze.

Sooner or later Mark and Beth showed up along with another boy, Nigel Carter.

“Hello, Ellie, Beth,” he said, nodding to each of them. “Joe, Mark.”

“Hiya Nige,” said Ellie.

“We gonna get goin’, then?” Mark asked. Everyone shook their heads except for Ellie, who stood there, waiting by the flagpole.

“Elle?” Mark asked.

“Oh, I invited the new kid over if he wanted to come,” she said.

“Not the bloke who held up lunch?”

“Yes, Mark,” she said. “Jesus Christ, you’re acting like he murdered your best friend.”

“No one tell you my true best friend _is_ lunch?” Mark asked playfully. “I mean. Fills my stomach with tasty deliciousness and helps me get through the day. More helpful than you lot.”

The group filled with short laughter until Nigel spoke up.

“How is he, anyway?” Nigel asked. “He’s not in my year.”

“Nah. He’s in me and Marks,” said Ellie, tying her hair up. “Bit of a geek, really.”

“Dresses like he is going to a fancy rich private school,” said Beth.

They waited for a couple minutes and watched the whole school empty. When everyone was gone, Mark and the rest stood impatiently by the flagpole.

“You sure he’s coming?” Joe asked.

“Um…” Ellie said, looking around. No one was left. He must have gone home. “I guess not.”

“We should get going,” said Nigel.

Ellie nodded her head, the slightest bit disappointed. Right until Nigel challenged everyone to see who could make it down to the beach the fastest, which made Ellie forget about the new boy and focus on beating Beth – the school cross country champion.

Ellie raced as fast as she could, coming in third with Beth being in first place and Joe in second. Ellie took a big breath in and out as she was cooled down by the ocean breeze.

“First place!” Beth said with a smug smile at Ellie.

“Agh shut it, Beth. Such a surprise! The fastest runner on the cross country team got first! Who would have known?” Ellie said sarcastically.

“Better yet, ask the football star over there why he’s so slow!” Beth called out to Mark who was still running down to them.

“Shut it, Beth!” He panted out.

Ellie and Beth laughed.

“Even I beat you!” said Ellie.

“Shut it!”

\----------------------------------

Alec sighed as he walked home, carrying his stack of books in his arms. Finally making it to the door, he dropped his stuff on the ground with relief and unlocked the door. The house still smelled unfamiliar; instead of a foul bitter scent reeking from all around, there was a musty and salty smell that filled the air.

His mum must have been to the beach because there was a small trail of sand leading to the shoe rack.

“Mum!” he called out. “I’m home!”

Soon an older looking lady with dark reddish hair came running out, giving him a hug.

“Oi!” Alec pushed away from her. “Just thought I’d let you know I’m home. Didn’t need a full-on invasion of my personal space.”

His mum shook her head. “Alec, my dear boy, what am I going to do with you?” she asked, smiling.

“Any news on work?” Alec asked.

“All setup,” his mum said happily. “Evans’ Miracle Herbs will be up and running in two days. I finished up the website already too. You should come down to the shop sometime, Alec.”

“You really calling it Evans’ _Miracle Herbs?_ ” Alec asked.

His mum shrugged.

“ _Miracle Herbs?_ ” he said again, then sighed and muttered, “miracle herbs”, again.

“Don’t like it?”

“Mum, if they were miracle herbs, I doubt they’d be selling in some corner shop,” he said, placing his bag on the counter.

“What about you?” she asked, changing the subject as she rummaged through the fridge which was already full of groceries. “How was your day.”

“Just the same as any other day,” he said. “Boring as hell.”

He didn't say anything about his tragic lunch experience or that a girl named Ellie Barrette asked him to hang out after school. His mum would have shooed him out of the house as quickly as possible, force him to go down to the beach and meet up with Ellie and her group of friends. Not only that, but she'd start talking about his old friends at school and about Az-

_Ouch!_

His mum gave him a slap on the hand. “Language,” she said.

Alec ignored her. “I’m going out,” he decided.

“Where?”

“I dunno. Exploring,” he said.

“Don’t you have any homework?”

He shrugged at that. If he had homework he would have been sure to get it done first thing. It wasn’t like him to not finish homework. But of course, his mum wouldn’t know that.

“Finished in class,” Alec said as he ran to his room to grab a small brown messenger bag. “See you around dinner?” he asked.

“Yeah, okay,” his mum agreed. “Just, be careful.”

Alec smiled and ran out the door. He had no clue where he was going to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again. Sorry if the French isn't right.  
> Also. Sorry that I know nothing about the UK school system.  
> And also... Sorry for like... I dunno. Everything?  
> Agh.  
> Thanks for giving this a read!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey! This is like a super cringey chapter and it's still part of the buildup to the whole murder thing. Anyway. Sorry for the hold up. I may suck at writing but I am FANTASTIC at procrastinating. Yay.  
> And also, I've been having difficulties with copying and pasting my stuff in here. For some reason all of my edits get chopped in half or don't change so you're left with gaps in sentences. Hopefully I fixed them all but I did make A LOT of edits so I probably missed a few. Sorry about that.  
> Happy reading.

“Oh Mark, if you’re going to act like you are physically dying after that little run you should have joined the drama club and not the football team,” Beth said watching Mark gulp down water and gasp for breath.

“Did I not – agh – did I not tell you two to shut it?” he managed to gasp out. Nigel just patted him on the back smiling, but even he looked out of breath.

“Yeah, but you never specified what to shut up about,” smiled Joe, taking a seat next to Ellie. He wrapped his arm around her and she gladly curled up inside of it.

Mark tried to come close to Beth, but she teasingly pushed him away telling him he needed to take a shower first.

“Oh!” Ellie exclaimed. The whole group perked up, looking at each other, waiting for Ellie to speak. “Picture! We should take a picture! We _need_ to take a picture!”

The whole group groaned at this. Ellie was obsessed with taking group photos to keep. She said she was going to take as many as she could throughout their lives, and once they were old and grey, she’d print off copies of a memories book that they could keep, remembering all the fun they had together.

“C’mon! Just one!” Ellie said excitedly, taking her camera-phone out. “I’ll put it on a timer so we can all be in it!”

It took a moment for the group to get up and for Ellie to position the camera in the right spot. When she was done fiddling with the camera she joined the group, counting down until the click of the shutters sounded. She smiled at everyone, giving a thumbs-up as she checked the photo.

“Oi! Half of you look dead in this!” she complained.

“That’s because half of us _are_ dead!” countered Mark. Nigel snorted at that and gave Mark a pat on the back.

“We have to retake it,” Ellie said.

Everyone groaned. Mark rolled his eyes and started playing with the sand and Beth just tucked her head down between her legs.

“Ellie, c’mon. It’s just a picture. You take about a million every day. I’m sure one less will be fine,” said Joe, wrapping her under his arm again.

“Ugh. Fine.” Ellie took a seat in the dry sand. Unlike other sand, it wasn’t warm. It wasn’t sunny enough in Broadchurch for the sand to get blazing hot like it did in places like Florida. She’d never been to Florida, but Joe had told her all about it when he went with his family. He even brought back a small necklace.

It was basically just a black cord with a small shell hooked at the bottom, but Ellie had fallen in love with it. She wore it every day since she had gotten it. Ellie scratched her neck, feeling the black cord. It used to be rougher but had worn down after being worn 24/7.

“Did you hear Jamie Adams got detention today?” Mark asked, trying to start up a conversation. “Y’know. The short blond kid on the football team?”

“Yeah,” said Joe. “I was in Physics when it happened. Jamie started yelling at this other kid in class. Well… he sorta started yelling at _everybody…_ though it was mostly aimed at the kid sitting next to me. The other kid started to yell back and before I knew it they were fighting. Mr. Becker practically had to pull Jamie off of the other kid.”

“He’s lucky he didn’t get more than detention, then,” said Ellie. Beth nodded her head in agreement.

“Yeah. I would think that he’d be suspended.”

“Nah. But he did get multiple detentions and not just one,” said Joe. “I don’t know why he was so mad. I saw him just this morning at tutoring and he was perfectly fine then.”

“A-Levels finally done it to him?” Beth suggested.

“If someone started a fight over the A-levels it would be you, Joe,” said Ellie. “I’ve never seen anyone so obsessed over it.”

“You don’t understand yet, Elle,” said Joe. “It feels like your whole life depends on how good you do on it. Don’t wanna mess up my life because I didn’t know how to add properly.”

Ellie laughed at that. “I’m perfectly confident that I know you know how to add properly.”

“Even two-digit numbers?” he asked teasingly.

“Oh. Definitely.” The two stared at each other, Ellie looking into his eyes and smiling.

“Oi! Get a room if you two are going to be all soppy,” said Beth.

“Like you and Mark were this morning?” Ellie asked.

“Ooh. Do tell, what did you two do this morning?” Joe asked.

“Nothing nearly as intimate as you two were,” said Mark.

“Yeah. You both looked like you were gonna make out right there in front of us. What are we? Chop liver?”

Ellie laughed and stood up, waltzing over to Mark, Beth and Nigel to give them great big hugs only Ellie could be capable of giving.

“No. You lot are just the third wheelers of the true stars of this group,” she said.

“Just ‘cause you’re older…”

“Means that we’re older and we get the older-people-privileges of bossing you lot around!”

The group laughed and started arguing over pointless things until the sun had almost gone down. They departed when the sky was a deep orange-yellow. Ellie said her goodbye’s to the group as they walked away from the loud waves crashing behind her.

Once they were out of sight, she turned around and walked along the edge of the beach and then up along the side of the looming cliffs above her. Everything sounded so silent without the laughter of her friends surrounding her. She hated that feeling; it was always the first couple minutes of being alone that was the worst. The feeling of having no one beside you and vast, empty space surrounding you. It was awful. She hated the feeling.

Then again, it was a feeling she was used to having. Most of her friends had things to do at home. They had family dinners or sibling activities they had to attend. Unfortunately for Ellie, mum and dad didn’t have the luxury of being home in the evening for movies and popcorn with the family. That left Ellie and Lucy to fend off on their own in the evening.

Lucy was usually out with her friends the whole evening though so that left Ellie alone. Though, being alone in an empty house was worse than being alone on the beach with fresh air surrounding her and the sounds of waves and water birds cawing out.

She spun around and paced back the direction she came, looking around. The sun was almost set now. It was a beautiful view. The sun always set on over the ocean. If you stared across the water long enough, the sparkling waves reflected the light, mirroring the red-gold sky and created an illusion that the water was part of the sky. It gave Ellie a floaty feeling. She watched as the sun continued to set until it had vanished.

She sighed and looked around her. It was dark now and the ocean breeze had become a cool chill against her neck. Ellie stood and gave a last look around before heading off until she felt something fall in her hair. She looked up at the cliffs and watched as a small pebbled rolled off, hitting the sand below her, making a small dent.

She picked it up and examined it; just a plain old chunk of dirt. She backed up in hopes of getting a better view, but alas, she saw no one.

Curious, she rushed over and headed for the top of the cliffs to find a slender boy in a dark suit jacket with messy hair brown hair and thin-framed glasses, sitting at the edge, kicking his feet together as he stared down into a notebook. His hand moved vigorously across the pages, scribbling small letters in the book.

Ellie didn’t say anything and continued to watch. After a moment, the boy froze and looked up.

“Miss Barrett.”

“Alec Hardy,” said Ellie. “And don’t call me Miss Barrett. Sounds much too serious.”

He didn’t smile.

“Were you on the cliffs this whole time?” she asked, taking a seat next to Alec. He seemed to scoot away to keep his distance.

“Erm. Yeah. I suppose,” he said, shutting his notebook. Ellie wondered what was in that notebook of his. He seemed to have his nose in it all of English class and always tucked it away when people were watching him.

“Were you spying on me and my mates?” she asked casually. She really didn’t care if he was or wasn’t.

“No, of course not,” he put simply. It sounded as though he was trying his hardest to be polite and proper. Now, Ellie could be wrong, but she was almost positive kids from Glasgow weren’t too different than the kids around Broadchurch, and she had never heard any teen her age talk the way he did.

“I told you we were going to be out on the beach, though,” said Ellie continuing her point. “Thought you might join us. You didn’t. Now I find that you were up here this whole time. You sure?” she asked.

Alec stayed quiet.

“It’s fine if you were…”

“I really wasn’t,” he said. “I’m not into that. Not only that… but I honestly don’t care about other people… sorry. That sounds… awful.” He shut his mouth and looked away, shaking his head. Ellie figured he was mentally kicking himself for saying that.

Ellie shrugged. “Well, I think spying on people is fun. Overhear all the gossip going around.”

“You like to spy on people?” he asked.

“I mean. Yeah. Sure. Why not? I mean, to be fair, half of the time I don’t even realise I’m spying on people. I just end up being the lucky one to overhear all those juicy conversations.” Ellie gave a playful smile.

Alec snorted. “Yeah. Along with being the lucky one everyone goes to for the gossip. I would hate that. Everyone crowding around you.”

“What is it with you and people, Mr. Alec Hardy?” Ellie asked, straightening up when she said his name in an attempt to mimic his politeness.

That was another thing. Even though he talked like a grumpy old adult, he held himself hunched over with his head down. Ellie assumed it was because he was tall. He was at least as tall as Joe who was around six feet.

When he didn’t respond Ellie feared that she may have gone too far.

He sat there silently for a few minutes, but then shrugged. “What kind of conversation is this, anyway?” he ended up asking.

“Pardon?”

“Talking about spying on people. It’s funny, really. How ridiculous this conversation is,” he said.

“It’s what people do, I suppose. Talk about pointless things,” she said.

Their conversation was trailing off and Ellie could feel it.

“I like your bag,” she tried complimenting.

He nodded. “Like your necklace.”

She looked down, not realising the small purple shell was dangling over her shirt. She usually kept it tucked underneath just so it wouldn’t get caught on anything.

“Thanks,” she said. “My boyfriend, Joe Miller, he gave it to me.”

Alec nodded again and looked out to the ocean. The waves were dark now. Unfortunately, clouds covered the stars and the moon.

“You have a girlfriend back in… was it Glasgow, you said?”

He just sighed in response.

“Or a special someone…?”

He shook his head. “Not exactly from Glasgow. Lived about eight-ish miles north of Glasgow.”

“And the special someone?”

“What is this, some interrogation?” he asked a little defensively. “I don’t think I have to tell you everything. I’ve just met you for heaven’s sake.”

Ellie gave him a smile, then turned to face him directly. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me and...”

“No,” he said.

“Oi. Haven’t even finished yet!”

“I know what you were going to say,” he said, packing up his things, but Ellie hung on to his bag before he could stand up.

“ _And_ …” she said finishing, “you sit with me and my friends tomorrow at lunch.”

He just stared back at her. She honestly didn’t know how he could see with his fringes in his eyes like that.

“C’mon. It’s a win-win. You get to know more about me _and_ get a seat at lunch.”

He sighed, dropping his stuff back on the ground. “Fine. Take it away.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t work that way. You have to _ask_ stuff about me.”

“Like what?”

“Like… I dunno… my favourite colour! You’d ask what my favourite colour is and I’d respond with… um… lilac. I like lilac. Lilac is a pretty colour,” she said smiling. “So. You try.”

“That is one of the most pointless…”

“Favourite colours are not pointless! My god, for as smart as you dress you really are horrible at making conversation,” she said. “Not only that, but you don’t have to ask ‘important’ questions.”

He sighed. “Fine,” he said, then cleared his throat. “Miss Ellie Barrett… who is your favourite philosopher?”

“God, of course you would ask something like that…” said Ellie. “That is…”

“Pointless?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. Favourite philosopher? It wasn’t like she paid any attention to her history classes. She barely knew any philosophers. “You know what. I’ll get back to you on that.”

He tried to hide a grin but failed miserably at that. “You don’t know any, do you?”

“Of course I know philosophers! There’s just… so many to choose from…” she gave him a serious stare, but then burst out laughing.

He laughed too and smiled. It must have been the first time she had seen him truly smile.

“Fine, my dear history buff, who is your favourite philosopher?”

He straightened up and looked to the dark clouds. “Nietzsche. Very interesting, Nietzsche. ”

“Oh god no,” said Ellie. “Not that dude. Wasn’t he the one who was like ‘life is dead and so are we’.”

“Woah there, where’d you get that from?” he asked looking surprised.

“History,” said Ellie.

“And did you fall asleep in history class, then?”

“…Naooo...”

Alec shook his head, smiling when his wristwatch started to beep. “I’ve gotta get home. See you tomorrow, then,” he said. He stood up.

“Oh! Wait!” said Ellie, standing too. She quickly grabbed his brown messenger bag.

“Oi!”

“Just a second.” She dug around in the bag for a pencil and paper, scribbling down a line of numbers on the front cover of one of his (many) notebooks. “There,” she said, satisfied, putting the notebook back. “On the brown one, I wrote my number down. Text me later.”

Alec just nodded. “Thanks.”

“Thanks what?” she asked.

He shrugged and headed off.

Later that evening she got a text signed A. Hardy at the bottom. Of course, he’d be the type to sign his name on a text.

_**Nietzsche Wiki page.** _

_**<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche> ** _

_**A. Hardy** _

She rolled her eyes. 

_**Nerd.** _

_**Good to know I sent it to the right person.** _

_**See you tomorrow.** _

_**Yes. I think we already agreed on that before.** _

  
  


She sighed, smiling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. Nietzsche's work is very controversial (I think??) but I have to admit that he is one of the more interesting philosophers out there IMO. Don't even ask why I'm still writing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOh. Getting close to the actual murder happening. Sorry about the hold up on this.  
> Anyway. Sorry if this is another boring chapter, but I promise some juicy stuff will be happening next chapter.  
> Happy reading!

“You were out late.”

Alec sighed, putting his mobile down as a small bowl was set in front of him.

“I’m not hungry, mum,” he said, standing up.

“Eat,” she said, drying off the dishes.

“Really, I’m not hungry-”

“Alec, you need food,” she said, shaking her head. “You barely ate breakfast this morning and God knows what you ate for lunch… it’s only tomato soup. You used to like it.”

Alec sighed, throwing his hands up, and then plopped back down in the chair. “And I did eat lunch, for your information. Had a bloody salad and apple juice – can’t believe they’re still serving apple juice to 17 year-olds.”

“And did you eat the ‘bloody salad’, Alec?” she said, now setting all of the dishes back in the cabinets. Alec rolled his eyes in response.

He looked around the house. Alec had never seen his home be so organised. He was so used to piles of dirty dishes and heaps of unwashed laundry laying about.

“I saw that eye-roll, young man,” said his mum. But then she stopped what she was doing, taking in a breath. “Listen, I know it’s been hard for you and ever since-”

Alec dropped his spoon and spun around to face his mum. “We are not talking about that right now.”

His mum swallowed. “Alec, we never talk about it. Never. You always storm off and I don’t get the chance to say anything.”

“That’s because there is nothing to be said. It’s over and done. The past is the past and nothing’s going to change it. I’d rather forget it happened, so please do me a favour and stop bringing it up.”

His mum sighed, rubbing at her temple.

Alec grabbed his bowl and handed it to his mum, storming off to his room. “Not hungry.”

\-----------------------------------------------------

Ellie met up with the rest of her friends early the next morning, her backpack slung loosely over a shoulder and wavy hair pulled tightly into a ponytail which swayed back and forth as she walked.

“Joe out again for tutoring?” Mark asked.

“Yeah,” Ellie said. “That’s alright. I still got you two. Alec might join us for lunch, too.”

“Alec as in the new kid?” Beth asked.

“Yep. He was at the cliffs, you know, while we were down on the beach,” she said. “After you all left, I found him sitting up there by the edge. We talked for a few minutes. He’s a bit quiet, but I think he’ll open up a bit once we smother him with our stupid jokes and pointless banters.”

Mark shook his head. “Yeah, but he seems like the type who wants to be left alone.”

“No one wants to be left alone, Mark,” said Ellie. “Even if they don’t admit it.”

“Hey, we could invite him to that party happening on Saturday. You know, the one the Thompson’s are hosting. I’m sure no one’s told him about it yet,” suggested Beth.

“There’s going to be a party?” Ellie asked. She was surprised she hadn’t heard about it before.

“Oh, yeah. This Saturday. Not a huge one. The Thompson’s have been tryin’ to keep it on the down-low. Don’t want the whole town to know… and you know how that goes…”

Ellie thought about it. The last time some high-headed teens tried hosting a party in town they got shut down by angry parents and angry neighbours. Apparently, gossip amongst teens could also be spread amongst the adults in the community if people didn’t know how to shut up sometimes.

It made her wonder if the party would be a good idea or not.

Once they got to school, time seemed to pass by at a snail’s pace. For some strange reason, Ellie anticipated lunch. She wondered how Alec was holding up.

\------------------------------

Alec was sure to not make the same mistakes he had made the other day. He arrived at lunch on time and with his own food. He even had a place to sit.

Ellie waved him over happily with a great big cheery smile and joyful call.

“Alec! Over here!”

Alec sighed. Sure, Ellie was nice. Sure, she was the only one who had tried to become friends with him. But in all honesty, it scared him. Some voice inside his head, some alarm going off in his mind, told him it was too good to be true. No one wanted to be friends with Alec.

So why her? What would she gain out of this?

Nevertheless, Alec sat down at the nearly empty table, keeping a bit of distance between himself and Ellie. She, of course, scooted closer to him.

“So, how’s _jour deux_ going for ya?” she asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

Alec shrugged, his eyes focusing on the bright girl sitting across from Ellie. She looked younger, but she didn’t look like Lucy. He guessed she was one of Ellie’s friends.

He felt a quick nudge at his arm. He looked back at Ellie.

“Not polite to stare,” she said. “If you want to know who she is, all you gotta do is ask. You’ve got a mouth, don’t you?”

Alec blinked. “And sometimes opening your mouth in the wrong situation can get you in trouble.”

“Trouble maker Alec?” Ellie asked. “You made trouble while you were at your old school?”

“Not purposefully,” he mumbled and looked away deciding that opening his lunch box was much more interesting than whatever Ellie was going to say next.

“Well, then, Trouble Maker Alec Hardy,” said Ellie, “this is Beth Roper.”

Alec drew his eyes over to the girl. Like many of the other students, she wore a plain t-shirt and sweats with her hair tied back into a ponytail. Everyone in this bloody town was the same. Just like his old school.

“Hi,” she said about to hold out her hand but was interrupted when the table shifted as two other boys sat down.

The first boy was shorter and had dark hair. He took a seat next to Beth. The other, a tall blond, sat next to Ellie.

“Speaking of Beth,” said Ellie. “This is Mark Latimer, Beth’s boyfriend, and this right here, is Joe Miller. He’s the special someone I was talking about last night.”

Alec gave an awkward smile and that’s because he was truly overwhelmed with all the people. He readjusted his glasses. “Hullo. Alec Hardy.”

“See you brought your own lunch today,” the boy Mark said.

Beth must have kicked him under the table because a soft clatter rattled their drinks. Mark twisted back to face Beth but then gave an apologetic smile. To whom, he wasn’t sure.

“Oh! And before I forget, Joe, the Thompson’s are hosting a party this Saturday. Didn’t know if you heard about it or not,” said Beth.

“Yeah, yeah. The whole bloody class wouldn’t shut up about it this morning. That and that Anna Brown was asked out by Jamie Adams.”

“What?” Ellie almost spat out her mouthful of food.

“How would a guy like Jamie bloody Adams get a girl like Anna Brown?” Mark asked. “She’s way out of his league.”

“And, like, one of the most popular girls in the whole frickin’ school,” added Beth.

It made Alec feel stupid that he didn’t know who they were talking about. He kept quiet and played around with the leftover soup he had brought. He really didn’t feel hungry right now.

“Jamie has been acting pretty strange lately, though,” said Joe. “Like I said, yesterday he went out on a rampage with a random bloke in class yesterday.”

“Probably was hung-over, high, or drunk, judging by the people I’ve seen him hanging around lately,” Mark said.

Ellie nodded in agreement, finishing off her sandwich and opening another bag of crisps. God only knows how much food she had packed in that bag of hers. She offered some to everyone at the table, even Alec. He shook his head politely.

“Enough about Adams. Let’s talk about this party, which, by the way, you are invited too,’ she said, looking back at Alec. Before he could protest, Ellie was already leaning in, talking to the rest of the group. Alec scratched his head and packed his things up.

Ellie relaxed and looked back at Alec once she was done having another group conversation. “And, I almost forgot!” she said and stuck her hand deep in her bag, pulling out a scraggly brightly coloured strand of string. “New member of the group has to have a bracelet!”

“What?”

She pulled Alec’s wrist and tied the brightly coloured string around.

“Aren’t you a skinny thing?” she said, but managed to tie it tight enough that it didn’t fall off… completely. “Ahh, it’ll be fine.”

Alec withdrew his arm as soon as she let go. “And this is...?”

“A friendship bracelet!” she cried happily. “We all have one.”

“But you don’t have to wear it, mate,” Joe whispered loudly across the table. Mark nodded discretely in agreement.

“I heard that!” Ellie said, giving him a playful smack on the hand.

Joe rolled his eyes. Alec almost smiled.

\----------------------

The next few days were long and utterly _boring._ All the same every single day. Alec complained to his mum once... and regretted it. She went into a long lecture about how they were privileged to have a new shot at life.

Alec knew that. He knew he was lucky to start over again. He had another shot at making friends and at being a _normal_ teenager. But that was what scared him the most. He got another shot at potentially making things worse, and if he messes up, it’s over. He would have run out of second chances.

Luck’s not the same thing as good.

When Saturday came looming around, Alec’s mum was overjoyed he had been invited to a party. He had jokingly told her to have the first aid kit ready to go, but his mum actually took him seriously.

“Seriously?” he asked.

His mum finished packing a small kit. “You should have everything you need in there, now. If you need me, just call. And tell you’re friends that I’ll be happy to pick them up afterwards if they need it. Or if they want, they can stay over… though you’ll have to sleep in the living room. You’re room’s a bloody mess. You need to clean it this weekend, you hear?”

His mum pushed his hair to the side, but Alec swatted her hand away.

“Yes, yes, okay, mum,” he said. He picked up his brown messenger bag, ready to leave, but it felt empty. He checked to see what was in there. “Did you move my notebooks?” he asked.

“You don’t need your notebooks at a party, Alec,” said his mum. “Go out there and have some fun. You have your nose in those notebooks all day. I’m sure you’ll be fine for an hour-”

Alec let out a loud groan. “Mum!” he complained. “What have I told you about moving my things? Agh! Now I’ll have to rearrange them!”

“You can do that later. It’s nearly three. Aren’t you meeting your friends soon.”

“I _need_ my journals. Where did you put them?”

“On your dresser,” she said, sighing.

Alec sprinted to his room and back out, shoving multiple dark notebooks into his bag and a couple of pencils for good measure. “Don’t touch my stuff while I’m gone,” he mumbled as he walked out the doorway, dodging a kiss his mother tried to plant on his head.

Alec’s mum smiled and waved goodbye as she watched him walk down the street. He still couldn’t believe she touched his stuff.

By the time he got to the beach, it was well past three. He watched as two girls laughed together in the sand and the boys threw a small water bottle back and forth.

“Oi! You’re late!” Ellie called out.

Alec ignored her and ran up to the group. Trying to not get sand in his bag, he held up the brown sack over his shoulder.

“Woah, there,” said Mark. “You look like you prepped for the party.”

“My mum-” he started, rolling his eyes. Ellie interrupted him.

“And look! Proof you don’t just wear fancy sweater vests and button-ups with collars,” she said.

Alec looked down at what he was wearing. He had almost forgotten he had changed. Instead of his normal black/tan slacks he wore, blue jeans and a t-shirt covered him.

She then gasped unexpectedly. 

"What?" Alec asked, looking around him. 

"The bracelet!"

Alec furrowed his brows. 

"Your friendship bracelet! You put it around your bag! Spruces it up a bit, doesn't it?" Ellie smiled brightly.

"Didn't wanna lose it," he said quietly.

"It looks lovely," she smiled, and brought in a hug. Alec didn't hug back, but wobbled back as she pushed all her weight on to him. "At least _someone_ appreciates my beautiful creations!" She glared back at Mark and Joe.

Joe threw his hands up in the air. "I told you! Mine's in my room hanging up on-"

" _Suuuure,_ " she said smiling. She turned back to Alec. “You ready for your first ever Broadchurch party?” she asked excitedly. 

Alec didn’t smile. He just shrugged. Ellie was acting like it was such a big deal. Despite being unpopular, he had gone to parties before. He never understood why most people viewed it as something fun. Parties never ended well for him.

“Alright,” said Joe, clapping his hands together. “We should head off.”

Ellie nodded in agreement. “And off we go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone knows the best teen drama happens at parties. Any guesses on where the murder will take place haha? I'm actually kinda excited to be writing the next chap. Anyways. Sorry if this sucks.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I got my inspiration for writing this from a book I just read and I want everyone to read this book because it is amazing! Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider is a really good book! It's sorta where I got the cafeteria scene from. Anyways. This is in no way going to be based off of the book, but because the book is placed in a highs school setting, it made me want to write something like this. Plus, I've been trying to write some pretty angsty stuff lately and I think I just need a break from that.  
> Now, this isn't the first time I'm writing a School AU fic, but it's definitely the first time I'm writing anything like this for Broadchurch, so we'll see how this goes.  
> Oh, and also, I dunno if I just read wrong, but according to the Broadchurch Wiki page, Beth's mother's name was Roper, so I gave Beth the surname of Roper. Huh. Strange. I definitely like sound of Beth Latimer better.  
> Thanks for giving this a read!


End file.
